


Statement of Jonathan Sims Regarding His Coworker Timothy Stoker

by RuneFells



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Boundaries, Communication, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Minor vague spoilers, Season 1 Antics mostly, Slow Burn, They're all friends, but it's mostly season 1 maybe 2, i'll add tags as I go because each chapter is sorta separated from one another, unrequited jonmartin but its ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuneFells/pseuds/RuneFells
Summary: Out of all his colleagues, Tim is the most unlike Jon. He tolerates him. Somehow.Out of all his colleagues, Jon is the one that needs to get out of his shell most. Tim loves toying with him.-Each chapter (for the most part) is a separate story, but all occur sequentially and build up together. Expect a lot of Jon and Tim being friends cause that's the best.
Relationships: Jonathan Sims & Tim Stoker, Jonathan Sims/Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood & Tim Stoker, Sasha James & Tim Stoker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 86





	1. Goodnight Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my best friend @sirencipher on tumblr for being my beta!

Jon had taken to watching his coworkers. Not in a weird way! He just wanted to get to know them more. Know where in the office dynamics he fit. A lot has changed since he was promoted to Head Archivist and moved down into the Archives with Sasha, Martin and Tim. Jon felt… awkward. Like he didn’t quite belong. Honestly he had no idea where to start with the archives. They were a complete mess. He was sure his coworkers could pick up on his uncertainty and indecision. They must know how out of his depth he was, all ready to report to Elias about what a failure he is. 

Jon sighed. It’s not like he could refuse the promotion. He’d be an idiot to turn it down, especially after how… insistent Elias was. Sasha deserved it far more than he does though. 

Outside his office he could hear the pleasant chatter of his assistants. The loud but pleasant laugh of Tim, Sasha’s sarcastic mocking tone, even Martin’s timid voice which often annoyed Jon was a calming white noise. Jon glanced at the clock. He should probably start packing his briefcase. 

Jon pushed his desk chair out and stood up with a groan. He must have been slouching all day. Again. His back hurt like hell. He gathered the papers strewn across his desk and gently placed them back into the statement folder. All of these statements were a waste of time. Ridiculously fake. He grabbed the handle of his briefcase and went to exit his office. At the door he paused and looked at the clock again. It wasn’t technically 7 yet. Usually he’d wait till his assistants left first. Didn’t want them thinking he was trying to skirt his duties. 

But. 

It was Friday. He could afford to leave a few minutes early right? Plus, he was exhausted already from his first week at a new job and wanted nothing more than to put on a documentary and curl up on the couch. He opened the door and stepped out into the cramped area where 3 desks were grouped together.

“Night Sasha!” Tim was already in his coat and his bag was slung over his shoulder. Jon watched as Tim leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Sasha’s forehead. She snorted in response but didn’t look up from whatever she was writing. He moved over to Martin’s desk (where Martin was frantically trying to make his desk look less like a tornado had hit it) and pressed a kiss to his forehead as well. “G’night Martin.” Martin grew slightly red at this but mumbled a ‘goodnight’ back. Tim then looked up and his eyes landed on Jon. “Oh look who emerges before 7:20!” Tim grinned and placed a hand on his hip. “Plans this weekend?” He raised an eyebrow, no doubt implying something that Jon didn’t grasp.

“No, just tired,” Jon said sourly. “I don’t have plans.” Ever. 

Tim snapped his fingers. “Ah damn, should’ve known the boss has more important things to do than party on the weekend!” His smile gave away that he was teasing. “Us lowly assistants cannot comprehend the essential work a boss must do on the weekend.”

Jon rolled his eyes. “Yes, quite. I don’t know why you feel determined to call me ‘boss’. It doesn’t feel right.” They’d been equals in Research just a week ago.

Tim shrugged. “Maybe I like seeing your reaction.” He made as if he was going to walk towards Jon but seemed to think better of it. “Goodnight boss.” 

“Goodnight Tim.” Jon watched him leave the archives, whistling a tune. He honestly had no idea how Tim remained in such a good mood all the time. He glanced at Sasha and Martin as he turned around to lock his office door. “Goodnight Sasha…. Martin.” He slipped his keys into his pocket before making to leave. At the door to the stairs he shot a look over his shoulder. “Please clean up that mess before you leave Martin.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Apparently Friday was a normal occurrence. He certainly didn’t think his coworkers (employees?) interpersonal lives were any of his business (but weren’t they? At least a little?) but he had thought about Tim’s casual kissing of the other assistants. At first Jon thought it must be romantic. He had never kissed anyone without romantic intentions. Though Jon had to admit that maybe Tim was different? If it were just Sasha it would make sense, but it was  _ both _ of them. Surely Tim was not dating both of them? Is that possible? Knowing Tim, probably, but he hadn’t seen any other evidence of that. It was puzzling. He was stuck between wanting to know if his assistants were involved with each other so he could avoid any possibly awkward situations and also at the same time wanting to know nothing about their romantic escapades. 

Jon decided to just watch. He was good at it. Watching was unobtrusive and safe.

Monday night when Tim was leaving Jon made sure to pay attention. He went through the same routine, kissing Sasha then Martin (who got red once again) before making his way home. He noticed Jon standing in the door and gave him an easy smile and a wave. “Night boss.” Then he left. 

Jon examined the two remaining people in the room for any reactions. Martin was avoiding looking at him as he scribbled something in a blue notebook. Sasha was still typing away at her computer at a frantic speed that didn’t seem human. She looked over her glasses at Jon and gave him an uncertain smile. “Need something Jon?” 

Jon startled from his thoughts and managed to stammer out a response. “Ah-um no. I’m okay. Does Tim always do that?” It left his mouth before he could apply his social awareness filter.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. “Do what? Leave early? Surely you know that by now?”

Jon shook his head. “No, no. Er. Kiss you two goodbye?” He looked away from her gaze. 

There was a pause. Then a chuckle. “Oh yeah, it’s just Tim’s thing. I swear that boy would die if he went a day without touching anyone.” Her tone of voice was teasing but incredibly fond. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” Jon said cautiously. Martin was very intensely examining his fingernails as if there were something interesting about them. 

“We’re not dating if that’s what you’re wondering!” Martin finally blurted out after an awkward silence, red rising on his cheeks. He pointedly avoided looking at Jon. 

“Oh- I- I wasn’t  _ wondering _ , not-not really any of my business.” Thank god for Martin’s awkwardness that that was spelled out for him. It perplexed him though. It seemed like such an intimate thing to do with friends. Though apparently it was Tim’s ‘thing’. Whatever that means. Jon wondered if it truly was Tim’s ‘’thing’’ then why didn’t Tim kiss him? Not that he’d want that. Far too intimate of a gesture for Jon. But. He did feel left out. That Tim didn’t even try. Does it mean Tim didn’t consider him a friend? Maybe Tim secretly hated him.

He jumped slightly when Sasha cleared her throat. She was looking up from her laptop at him again, slight amusement in her eyes. “You just going to stand there and stare at us like a zombie till we leave?” 

“Oh- sorry. Lost in thought.” 

Sasha smirked. “Anything interesting?” Jon certainly had no idea what she was implying but he knew from living on this Earth for over 3 decades that she was implying  _ something _ . 

“No.” Jon didn’t elaborate.

“Riiiiiiiiight.” She grabbed her coat and placed her laptop into her bag. “Well, goodnight Jon.” 

“Goodnight Sasha.” Jon retreated back into his office. He still had some paperwork to finish. And some thoughts to process. 

He was only interrupted by Martin poking his head in to bid him farewell for the night. 

* * *

  
  
  


Jon watched Tim kiss Sasha and Martin goodbye every night for the rest of the week. He just found a reason to be out in the bullpen during the end of their day. Every time Tim finished kissing Martin and turned to Jon, Jon tensed, anticipating Tim to walk over and do the same to him. He never did though. Just a smile and a wave and a goodnight. 

Jon didn’t really know what he wanted. He had no idea what he could possibly achieve by watching this nightly ritual. The easiest explanation to himself was that he wanted to  _ understand _ . He wanted to ask Tim why he was excluded from this friendly gesture. It was eating at him. When did he start caring so much about what others thought of him? The answer to that was simple: he always cared. Far too much. He was just good at suppressing those sticky emotions. And pretending he didn’t have them. 

If Tim noticed the change in Jon’s behavior he didn’t say anything. He still acted the same as he always did. Big smiles, inappropriate jokes, and easy laughs. It was easy for Jon to relax in Tim’s presence after a few cracked jokes (even if they were wildly inappropriate for the work environment). It was easy to pretend he and Tim were actually friends. 

* * *

  
  
  


Jon finally had an option to talk to Tim more personally a week later during their lunch break. Tim was alone in the break room (Sasha and Martin went out for lunch together. Jon overheard Tim saying he was a little light on cash this week). Jon sat down quietly across from Tim and opened his own sandwich. Tim looked up from his salad and raised an eyebrow. 

“Not eating in your dungeon like usual?” Tim teased.

Jon scoffed. “Maybe I wanted a change of scenery.” 

Tim grinned and nudged Jon’s foot with his boot gently. “Or maybe you’re just craving my company that much.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

Jon scowled. “Can I not eat without being harassed?”

Tim laughed and held up his hands in surrender. “I’m just teasing.”

“I know.” Jon allowed a slight smile to break on his face. 

After that they fell into a comfortable silence. The only sound in the break room was their chewing. Jon knew if he wanted to actually talk to Tim about anything serious he needed to do it before Sasha and Martin got back. He bounced his leg and wondered how to bring it up. Though apparently he need not have bothered.

“Something on your mind?” 

Jon looked up and met Tim’s eyes. They were curious and not unkind. “That obvious?”

Tim chuckled. “You’re shaking the whole table with your bouncing.”

Jon winced. “Sorry.” 

“It’s fine. No need to apologize.” 

A pause. 

“Sooooo gonna tell me what it is?”

Jon sighed. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I-“ He swallowed his anxiety. Tim was his friend, he should be able to bring things like this up. “I’ve noticed that…” Tim looked at him patiently. “Right so I’ve noticed that you kiss Sasha and Martin goodbye in the evenings and you don’t do the same to me and I was wondering why that is and if I did something wrong?” It all came out in one breath. He stared down at the grains of the break table. Very pretty swirls. He felt his face growing warm and cursed himself internally. 

There was silence. It felt like an eternity but was probably only a few seconds. Then Tim laughed. Jon’s face was definitely red with embarrassment now. “Oh is  _ that _ why you’ve been skulking around at 7 so much lately? I thought you were trying to document me leaving early enough times to fire me.” 

Jon spluttered. “I would hardly call it  _ skulking- _ “

“Jon.”

Jon tore his gaze from the table and looked at Tim. His eyes were serious now but he was still smiling.

“I don’t kiss you because you told me you don’t like to be touched? Remember when we first met in Research? I squeezed your arm and you nearly jumped three feet in the air. Then you yelled at me for touching you.”

Oh. That did happen. It felt like forever ago to Jon. “Oh….” Jon scratched the back of his hand. “You… remember that?”

Tim scoffed. “Of course! You told me a boundary and I respected it.” He got up and tossed his trash into the garbage before sitting back down across from Jon. He folded his hands in front of him. “If you’ve changed your mind you  _ can _ just tell me y’know.”

Jon blinked. It could be that easy? This wasn’t how he expected this conversation to go and he hadn’t even gotten so far as to find out what he  _ wanted _ . “I…” Jon wet his lips. “I feel left out I guess.” 

Tim’s smile grew wider. “So what you’re telling me is you want me to kiss you goodnight?”

Jon played with his cuticles. “…Yes. Not on the lips though.”

Tim laughed. “Of course. That’s reserved for a different tier of friend.” It was a joke apparently. But Jon just started wondering how many tiers there were. 

* * *

  
  
  


That night Jon stood in the doorway to his office as Tim gathered his coat and bag. He was tense and couldn’t stop running his fingers through his hair. He didn’t understand why this made him so  _ nervous _ . Maybe he was afraid he wouldn’t like it. Then he’d have to tell Tim to stop. Then Tim would be upset. Probably. Maybe.

He was so lost in his own head he didn’t notice Tim approaching. Tim smiled at him and before Jon could change his mind about this terrible idea, Tim had already leaned down to close the foot gap in their height. The kiss was dry on his brow, not wet like he was expecting. And it was quick. Quicker than Sasha and Martin’s usually were. When Tim pulled away he searched Jon’s eyes for any sign of being uncomfortable. But Jon was… fine. Surprisingly. It was nice. Tim seemed to take Jon’s silence as approval and smiled reassuringly at him. “Goodnight Jon.” 

Jon cleared his throat. “Goodnight Tim.” He tried to relax his shoulders and not seem like a statue. Tim patted his arm and then turned and left. There was no drama about it. Jon was very grateful for that. 

He glanced over at Sasha and Martin. Both of their faces were in the exact same expression of shock. Mouth agape, eyes wide and staring at Jon. 

Jon turned around abruptly and disappeared back into his office. He didn’t want to answer any questions they may have asked.

He sat down in his office chair and tentatively touched the spot where Tim had kissed him. It really was nice. To receive some outward affirmation of affection. He was never really one for physical affection, at least between friends. Georgie had always told him he was a very clingy partner. With Tim though… it felt. Fine. Good. It felt right.

He could get used to being Tim Stoker’s friend. 


	2. Travel (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon invites Tim with him to an event at the Usher Foundation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter took so long to get out- I had finals and then major surgery. this chapter is in two parts since it was getting pretty long! I think I'm going to continue switching pov each chapter

“Sasha look. Sasha look at me. Sasha please.” 

“Leave me alone Tim, I’m trying to work. Unlike  _ some  _ people.” She shot him a look over her glasses before returning to her attention to her laptop. 

Tim groaned and took his pen from where it was balancing on his upper lip. Spoil sport. He leaned back in his chair so that it was teetering precariously and chewed on the end of his pen. “I am working. I’m uh- doing research on,” Tim paused and looked at the aged paper sitting on his desk. “Mister Pisicanno. Very riveting work.” He turned his head the other way to see if Martin was up for blowing off some work. He was just  _ so bored.  _ Martin was blankly staring at his computer, from the reflection on his glasses it looks like he was trying to find an address. “Martin-”

“Tim can I speak with you in my office please?” Jon’s entrance and exit to the bullpen had been swift and he was already closing the door again to his office when Tim registered what he said.  _ Uh oh.  _

The three assistants all shared looks before Tim sighed dramatically and stood up. “Well this is it guys. It’s been nice but we all knew one day The Man would get me.” He walked over and hugged Sasha from behind which earned him an indignant huff. “I’ll miss you Sasha and our pervasive romantic tension.” That earned him a glare. “And Martin!” He laid his hand on Martin’s shoulder, causing him to jump. “I won’t be here to make sure you don’t have wet dreams about Jon in the office,” he said gravely. 

Martin stammered a few lines about how it was  _ really not like that _ . And how he just  _ admired _ Jon’s work ethic. Oh sure he was admiring  _ something _ , but it definitely wasn’t work ethic. Wasn’t Jon’s ass either cause he sadly was lacking in that department. 

Tim didn’t want to get into it with him (again) so he just walked over to Jon’s office, set his hand on the door, and saluted what would probably be his ex-coworkers. Martin and Sasha rolled their eyes. They  _ never _ appreciated his dramatics. He opened the door and stepped inside the small, stuffy office. 

Jon was sitting at his desk fiddling with a laptop and a microphone. Must have been recording statements. As much as Tim joked he really could  _ not _ get fired right now. 

Tim inhaled. “Hey Jon listen I know I haven’t been taking the job as seriously as you liked but-”

Jon cut him off. “What on Earth are you talking about?” He had managed to tear his gaze away from the laptop to instead pierce Tim with his usual intense stare. 

“Uhm… trying to convince you not to fire me…?” Tim rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and took a few more steps into the room. 

Jon looked amused. “That’s not what this is about.” He gestured to the seat across from his desk. 

_ Oh god what is this? Is Jon going to assign me some awful statement to follow up on? Or maybe he’s just going to eat me or something.  _ Tim took the seat. “Soooooo… what d’ya want then, boss?”

Jon fidgeted. He examined his hands, then the walls, then ran his fingers through his hair. It was the classic Jon tell of:  _ I don’t want to say this or talk about it but I have to.  _ “Well uh.” Jon straightened up in his chair and pointedly laid his hands flat on the desk, probably to stop playing with them. “Elias has er-  _ requested -  _ that I attend a gala at the Usher Foundation. He wants to introduce me to the Archivist over there and to the patrons that will be attending as well.”

_ Bunch of rich people showing off how rich they are. Sounds lovely. The Usher Foundation is based in America isn’t it? Long way to go. _ Still, Tim didn’t see what this has to do with  _ him.  _ “Alright?” 

Jon fidgeted some more. Back to staring at his hands and cracking his knuckles. “Well. Uhm. Elias said that I could take one of my assistants with me. If I wanted. And I was wondering if you were interested? Maybe? All expenses are paid for by the Institute. Of course.” 

Tim sat back in his chair. He wasn’t expecting  _ that _ . He was surprised Jon was asking him and not Sasha. They always seemed to get on better. Maybe he was weird around women. “When? And how long?” 

Jon cringed. “...This weekend. Friday to Sunday. We’d leave Thursday night.”

Tim gaped. “Jon that is very last minute for an international trip!”

Jon avoided his gaze. “I know, I’m sorry. I just- well. Assumed I’d take Sasha but asked her quite late too. She was busy so…”

“Wow so I’m not even your first choice. I’m  _ hurt. _ ” Tim put his hand over his heart to emphasize. 

Jon rolled his eyes. “Please, you were just thinking you were about to be fired. You’re not exactly an exemplary employee to be taken on work trips.”   
  


Tim scoffed. “Oh please. I follow up on just as many statements as Sasha and Martin.  _ I  _ just happen to have fun while doing it.” He crossed a leg over his knee and sighed. “I’ll have to cancel a date and move around some things.”

“...You don’t have to. I can go alone.” From the expression on Jon’s face, Tim could tell he very much did  _ not _ want to do that. 

“No it’s fine, I’ll go. Guy seemed like a bit of a dick anyway.” Tim sighed wistfully. “He did have a nice one though.” 

Jon’s cheeks grew flushed. “Yes  _ alright _ then. Glad that is settled.” He opened the top drawer to his desk and withdrew two airplane tickets, offering one to Tim. Tim took it from his outstretched hand and whistled in appreciation.

“First class? Damn, Elias really likes to throw his money around.” 

“Yes well, apparently this is an important party.” Jon looked awkward for a moment before speaking again. “Thank you. For being flexible. I didn’t fancy being alone in a foreign country by myself.” He looked over his plane ticket. “I’ve never even been on a plane before,” He said softly, like it was meant for just himself. 

“Well I’d be an idiot to say no to an all all expense trip to  _ America.  _ I have to do some research and see what there is to see in D.C. I’ve never been abroad before myself.”

Jon glared at him. “Tim. This is not a vacation. It is a  _ work _ trip.” 

Tim waved him off. “Oh come on, I’m sure there will be time in between boring bureaucracy to have some fun.” Tim grinned at him playfully. “You do know how to have fun, don’t you?”

Jon didn’t look amused. “Of course I- that’s not the point. Just please try to be professional. I don’t want to offend Elias.” 

Tim held his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. Wouldn’t want to offend  _ Elias.  _ But  _ you _ were the one who invited  _ me. _ If you wanted no nonsense I’m sure Martin would be happy to oblige. _ ”  _

The face Jon made gave away a lot about how he felt about Martin. Poor boy. “What, so Martin could lose our luggage or accidentally step on the toes of an important patron? I don’t think so.”   
  


Tim frowned, “Martin’s clumsy but he’s not  _ that _ bad.” Okay maybe those things were  _ probable,  _ but Martin was so sweet and his clumsiness just added to that charm. Martin really needed to get better taste in men. 

Jon just rolled his eyes but didn’t further comment on Martin’s supposed incompetence. “I’ll meet you at the airport two hours before the flight.” He pushed his glasses up on his face and returned his attention to his work. “Please don’t be late.” 

Tim stood up. “As if. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” He grinned. “Boss bonding time, it’ll be great.” 

Jon gave a long suffering sigh. No doubt already regretting his decision. 

  
  
  
  


“Tim could you  _ please _ hurry up.” Martin was strumming his fingers against the doorframe impatiently while Tim made sure he had everything in his suitcase.

“Can’t rush perfection Martin.” 

“You are  _ unbelievable _ .” When Tim looked up Martin was smiling. 

“Why do you care so much? If we’re late Jon is gonna be mad at me, not you.”

“Oh he’ll find a way! He always finds a way to be mad at me,” Martin said bitterly. 

Tim crossed the room and hugged him. “Screw him.”

“Actually, I’m trying to  _ not _ do that.” Martin chuckled and squeezed Tim tightly before giving him a playful shover. 

Tim stuck out his tongue. “Bad phrasing. But seriously you shouldn’t let him get to you so much.” He grabbed the handle on his suitcase and nodded at Martin that he was ready. 

Martin sighed. “I  _ know _ . I just- I just don’t like it when people don’t like me.” Tim knelt beside his rats cage to say goodbye. He would miss them but they would be in good hands. 

“There's always some people who won’t like you. Though it’s hard for me to think that anyone could dislike  _ you. _ ”   
  


Martin blushed and held open the door for Tim. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Tim poked his nose playfully, “that you are a  _ very _ likeable man.” He locked the door behind him and patted his pockets to make sure he had everything. Wallet, keys, yep, he’s good. Martin led the way to his car, stammering out many attempts at a response to Tim. 

When they were both sat in the car Martin turned to Tim. “Er, thanks.” He gave him an unsure and lopsided smile. It was charming. 

“Of course. You deserve the world Martin.” Tim didn’t need to glance over at Martin to tell that he was growing more red. Martin put the car into drive and then pulled out onto the road. They sat in silence for a while, the only thing interrupting the silence was Martin’s phone chirping directions at him. Tim knew Martin was stewing over what he said. Fighting his own self to accept it probably. Martin had a bad case of self-loathing so Tim made sure to go out of his way to compliment him. The silence wasn’t bad though, they’d been friends long enough that it wasn’t awkward. Tim checked his phone and sent a text to Jon when they were about 10 minutes away. 

_ T: almost there where r we meeting? _

_ J: About time. I am waiting outside. You should see me. _

_ T: shove it im like 20 minutes late _

Tim directed Martin to where the drop off area was. They both spotted Jon sitting on a bench just outside the entrance to the airport. 

Martin inhaled sharply. “Is he-” Jon wasn’t wearing his usual stuffy work clothes that made him look somewhere between grandpa and banker. Instead he was wearing a comfortable-looking t-shirt and jeans. “I’m going to pass out Tim.”

“Look away Martin! Shield your eyes!” Luckily Martin has parked at the point where Tim flung his hand over Martin’s eyes. 

Martin pulled Tim’s hand away. “Stoppp.” 

Tim laughed. “If seeing Jon in casual clothes is enough to do it for you then I have bad predictions for your future escapades.”

Martin slapped Tim’s shoulder playfully. “It isn’t  _ doing it _ for me. Don’t be  _ nasty. _ ” 

“Yeah.  _ Sure.”  _ Tim unbuckled his seatbelt then stepped out of the car. He leaned back in to press a quick kiss to Martin’s cheek. “Thanks for driving me. You should probably stay in the car so you don’t combust.” He straightened up and shut the car door gently. 

_ T: jon look 2 ur right _

_ T: no ur other right _

Jon spotted him and Tim waved a greeting to him. He popped the trunk and lifted his suitcase out. By the time he was done Jon had walked over and was standing on the edge of the sidewalk. 

“Hurry up.” 

Tim rolled his eyes. “Relax, we’re still suuuper early.” He slapped the trunk and made a heart with his hands at Martin. In response Martin drove away. Tim scoffed. “How rude!”

“You’re  _ supposed  _ to be early to catch a flight. To go through customs and such.” Jon turned quickly and started walking towards the sliding front doors. “Now  _ come on. _ ”

Tim groaned. Maybe this trip was a mistake. 

  
  
  
  
  


The first thing Tim noticed about the plane was that there was more legroom than he expected. The seats apparently reclined fully to allow one to fully lay down. Probably to allow for sleeping on the 8 hour flight. Tim gestured Jon in front of him. “You can take the window seat.” 

“A-alright.” Jon squeezed past him and into the seat by the window. He opened it and looked out. Tim could pick out Jon’s nervous energy. He sat next to him and shoved his bag underneath his chair. 

“Nervous?”

“Wh- Yeah. A little I guess.” Jon scratched the back of his hand absentmindedly. 

Tim quirked a smile. “Scared of heights?”

“Er- no, not really. But ah- I’m not a fan, you know?” 

“Bridges?”

“Eh.”

“Skyscrapers?”

“Prefer not.”

“Rollercoasters?” 

Jon fought a smile. “I’m neutral on them really.”

“Damn there go my plans for an Archive field trip.” Tim had managed to diffuse the nervousness Jon was holding and a peaceful silence grew between them. They watched as the rest of the people boarded the plane. When the plane started taxiing Tim started to get really excited. He leaned over Jon to watch out the window. 

“If you wanted to look so bad you should have taken the window seat,” Jon said grumpily.

“Ah, but you invited me on this trip so it’s only fair you get the honors,” Tim replied. He continued to lean into Jon's space since he hadn’t pushed him away yet. Tim’s breath caught in his throat as the plane roared to life and took off down the runway. Tim grinned and turned to look at Jon’s face. He gave a weak smile through his pinched and pale expression. He was gripping the armrests with white knuckles. Tim’s grin turned into a grimace when Jon’s face turned green. “Please don’t puke, it’ll totally ruin any of my chances with the flight attendants.” 

Jon gave him one of his Looks. “Oh  _ apologies  _ I didn’t realize your  _ hypothetical _ chances with  _ people doing their job _ would be so important to our flight. I wouldn’t want to hinder your  _ flirting _ ,” Jon said in a tone that if it were any drier would feel like sandpaper. However as the plane climbed towards cruising altitude, Jon’s pallour improved as well as his demeanor. He joined Tim in looking out the window at the world slowly shrinking beneath them. Jon’s look of wonder almost made up for the fact Tim had to spend the next 8 hours numbing his ass on the plane seat. What definitely made it worth it was when the flight attendant came around and took orders for drinks.

“I’ll take your most expensive wine,” Tim said in a haughty tone that could have been mocking Elias if it wasn’t god awful. Jon looked on disapprovingly, only getting water for himself. “What? I’m going to write it off as a work expense!” 

“You can’t just write everything off as a work expense Tim.”

Tim grinned, “With the leniency Elias is affording us with the budget I think I can.” Tim paused. “I mean he’s like- our sugar daddy or something.”

Jon looked at Tim incredulously. “Our  _ what _ ?”

“Please tell me you know what that is.”

Jon shook his head. “It sounds... inappropriate.”

Tim chuckled. “Well it’s basically when an older, rich man gives money or expensive things to a much younger and attractive person. A twink in our case I suppose- and yes usually for sexual favors but not  _ all _ the time.”

Jon wrinkled his nose. “That really isn’t an image I want associated with Elias.” He strummed his fingers on the plane seat. “Are you calling me a twink?”

“Do you even know what that is?”

“Yes I know what a twink is Stoker,” Jon said in a deadpan voice. 

“ _ I know what a twink is Stoker,”  _ Tim said mockingly. Well that was definitely a point in the ‘possibly LGBT’ category. Though he could just be an ally. Exciting updates in the ‘is Jon gay or not’ game show. “Well how am I supposed to know that?” Tim huffed and looked Jon up and down. “You could be a twink if you shaved more often.” 

Jon rubbed at his shadow of a beard self-consciously. “Yes well I’ve been rather busy.” Jon adjusted his glasses. “What does that make you then?”

“Oh I’m obviously a twunk.”

The corner of Jon’s lips curled into a smile. “ _ Obviously _ .” 

The flight attendant returned at this moment with a smile and a glass of red wine. She was a pretty brunette and she laughed when Tim generously pointed that out. Tim could tell Jon was only barely tolerating his flirting by the way he folded into his seat like he was trying to have it eat him. Tim took a long sip of his wine and turned to Jon. “How would you feel about me joining the Mile High club?”   
  


Jon freezed.  _ “Excuse me?”  _ He said with an incredulous tone. 

“Yunno the- you know what that is right?”

“Yes Tim, I know what that is,” Jon hissed. “And you will  _ not _ be doing anything of the sort. This is a  _ work _ trip. We are traveling on the Institute’s dime and you are not using it to hook up with strangers!”

Tim pouted. “You’re no fun. When do you think I’ll be able to get the chance again?”

“No.”

“On the return trip?”

“ _ No.” _

“Ugh. Fine.” Tim slid down in his seat and continued to nurse his drink. Jon reached under his seat and pulled out a folder which he spread out on the pull out table in front of him. Tim slurped his drink loudly and looked over. “Don’t tell me that is work stuff.”

“This  _ is _ a work trip,” Jon replied. He licked his fingers and flipped open the stapled statement. 

“You need to learn to have fun,” Tim sighed. “What  _ spooky _ story are we reading about today?” 

Jon gave him another Look over his glasses. He cleared his throat and read. “Statement of Nathan Watts, regarding an encounter in Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh.” He bit his lip and set the paper back down. 

“Oh! Is that the one that didn’t record digitally? I thought you worked that out with the tape recorder or whatever.” Tim picked up the papers and began skimming it, trying to remember what happened. “This one was creepy.”

“Yes I did end up recording it to tape but…”

“But…?”

Jon sighed. “It  _ bothers  _ me. I don’t understand why this one refused to record! There's nothing…  _ special _ about it. It- it was just a strange person. There is an abundance of those out there.” 

“Didn’t Sasha find some weird follow ups for it though? People disappearing…” 

“People disappear. It’s sad but it doesn’t mean it’s supernatural.”

Tim rolled his eyes. Jon really wanted to be Scully so badly. “If you don’t believe why even work at the Magnus Institute?” 

Jon plucked the statement back from Tim. “Oh I do.” 

“What?” 

“I  _ do _ believe in the supernatural.  _ But, _ ” Jon gave him a hard look, “I can’t believe every statement I read.

Tim shook his head. “I really don’t understand you.” 

“Maybe that’s the point,” Jon said quietly, as if to himself. 

Tim left it at that, letting companionable silence fall in between them. He had to reevaluate his view of Jon yet again. He’d worked with Jon for years and never got the impression he so much as believed in Casper. It made him wonder what he was compensating for by pretending to be such a hard ass skeptic. 

At some point the gentle buzz the few glasses of wine gave Tim let him fall into a light sleep. The seats reclined enough that they weren’t unbearably uncomfortable but they weren’t exactly a Tempurpedic. Tim was awoken rather roughly by turbulence. His face was stuck to the seat and he had dried drool down his cheek. He groaned and sat up, scrubbing at his face. Jon was diligently tapping away at his laptop, his glasses perched at the end of his nose. Jon had this hilarious quirk where as his glasses slipped down his face he got closer to the screen instead of fixing them. At this point he must have been absorbed in his work for a good few hours as his face was only a few inches from the screen. 

Tim reached over and tapped Jon on the shoulder. “You’re going to destroy your neck doing that Jon.” 

Jon jumped at his voice and blinked at him. “What- oh.” He pushed his glasses back up and cracked his neck in a concerningly loud way. “Thanks.”

Tim stretched, his arms brushing against the cabin’s ceiling. “How much time do we have left?” 

Jon frowned and checked the in flight information. “About 5 hours.” 

Tim groaned. “This is torture.” 

“You’ve been asleep for most of the flight so far.” 

“Yeah but you can’t expect  _ me _ to sit still for another 5 hours doing  _ nothing _ .” 

Turns out that was exactly what was expected. Yes Tim knew this ahead of time, yes he could have prepared better, no he wasn’t going to stop complaining. Jon was going to have to put up with his fidgeting ass and  _ like it. _ After all, Jon invited  _ him.  _ Tim entertained himself by alternating between playing on his DS and watching shitty romance movies on the in flight screen. 

It was a blessed relief to both of them when the pilot announced they were over the states and were beginning to descend. 

Both Tim and Jon peered out of the tiny window as the plane flew over Washington D.C. From the sky they could see the Washington Monument and the National Mall. The landing caused Jon to grip his seat tightly while Tim greatly enjoyed the rumbling and screaming of the plane’s breaks. 

They collected their luggage and then went to find the car waiting to take them to their hotel. Elias had organized the chauffeur ahead of time and the sleek black car waited for them just outside the exit. Their hotel was relatively close to the Usher Foundation if Tim’s brief research on Google Maps was to be believed. Tim kept his face pressed to the window as they drove past monuments and museums. Hopefully he would have some free time to do a little sightseeing. The whole ride Jon prattled on about the history of the various historical sites they passed as well as something about the Usher Foundation. Tim mostly tuned him out. Only about a quarter of the time were Jon’s info dumps interesting but he at least pretended to listen. 

The hotel was fancy because of course it was. Tim felt resolutely out of place while Jon checked them in and based on Jon’s nervous tic he was feeling similarly. Important looking businessmen moved in and out of the lobby, and Tim got the impression they were being judged. At least they were given the room keys quick enough. 

The room was larger than Tim was expecting. They were only spending two nights here but it had a large bathroom and a nice looking sitting area. The hotels Tim was used to were cramped, moldy and included only the bare minimum. 

Tim threw his suitcase on one of the beds and began poking around the room more. Jon pushed past him and collapsed face first on the other bed. He groaned and dragged himself into the center of the bed. 

“I’m exhausted,” Jon complained, his voice muffled from being pressed into the sheets. 

Tim snorted and popped one of the complimentary chocolates into his mouth. “I told you, you should have slept on the plane.” 

Jon only grumbled in response and then went to remove a change of clothes from his luggage. A piece of paper on the side table caught Tim’s eye and he picked it up to examine it. The elegant handwriting was immediately recognizable from the handwritten memos Elias often sent to the Archives. Tim scoffed. “Something from Elias,” He said, skimming over the note. 

Jon looked up from where he was rummaging through his suitcase. “What does it say?”

Tim cleared his throat and put on his best middle-aged-bureaucrat impression. “ _ Dear Jonathan and Timothy, I hope your trip went well and you have found your room to be in adequate order. In the closet you will find your suits that I expect you to wear to the event tomorrow evening. At 7:30 am I will come pick you both up and bring you to the Usher Foundation to-”  _ Tim paused and shot Jon a look where he was poorly holding back laughter. “ _ What?” _

“Elias does  _ not _ sound like that,” Jon said through quick breaths.

“Does too! I do an excellent impression, I’ll have you know. Now let me finish.” Tim cleared his throat again obnoxiously. “- _ To introduce you to our colleagues there. Get some rest and please be ready and presentable by  _ 7:30.  _ -Elias Bouchard.”  _ Tim set down the note and opened the closet where Elias had indicated their suits were. Inside were two expensive looking suits. A smaller emerald-colored one that was no doubt Jon’s and a dark blue suit that was his own. “Should we worry that Elias knows our sizes?” Tim doesn’t  _ remember  _ giving Elias his measurements, but Elias always had a weird habit of…  _ knowing _ things.

“Er- I’m not sure how to feel about that. At least we didn’t have to purchase suits ourselves? I honestly wouldn’t know what to wear to something like this,” Jon said. He got up, peeked at the suits and then locked himself in the bathroom to change. 

Tim stripped his clothes off except for his boxers and retrieved one of his large baggy shirts. ( _ Hm, actually this might be one of Martin’s shirts. _ ) He usually slept in the nude but Tim figured that Jon  _ probably  _ wouldn’t appreciate that. Tim pulled the shirt over his head and relaxed on his bed. 

Jon left the bathroom in a large, plain, black t-shirt and plaid patterned trousers. His long hair released from his bun and now hung loosely in curls around his head. Tim took a moment to appreciate the sight. Jon was undoubtedly attractive when he didn’t try so damn hard to look like he had a permanent stick up his ass. He could see where Martin was coming from (though Jon’s abrasive personality left something to be desired). Jon caught his stare and gave him a quizzical look before climbing into his own bed and pulling his laptop from his bag. Tim didn’t give any explanation and instead turned towards Jon where he laid, propped up by his arm. “So I was thinking that we should go check out the Smithsonian once Elias releases us from his clutches tomorrow.” 

Jon didn’t look up from where he was frantically typing (the only way Jon typed) on his laptop. “How many times do I have to say we aren’t here for sightseeing Tim.”

Tim groaned. “C’mon! Neither of us have been to America before and surely  _ you’re  _ curious about seeing the museums. You can’t possibly expect me to sit in another dusty archive. Ours is torture enough.”

Jon gave Tim a severe look. “You agreed to work in the Archives with me. I don’t think you have any right to complain.”

“Oh yeah cause I’d totally let you have Sasha all to yourself?” Tim snorted. “Plus, I’m allowed to complain about anything and everything. And I will. So there.” 

Jon rolled his eyes. “Good to know you’re only in it with me to continue your incessant flirting with Sasha.” 

“Well that and Martin.”

“Pardon?”

Tim shrugged. “Y’know we-”

“Actually, I really do not want to know.” 

“Fair enough.” Tim let the silence stretch between them for a few moments. “And because we’re friends of course.”

Jon paused his typing and very pointedly did not look up from his screen. “Right,” He said softly. 

Tim yawned and hit the light switch. It was still early to sleep for this timezone, but jet lag was really getting to him. “G’night Jon.”

A soft sigh. “Goodnight Tim.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: bigfreakinfrog

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am a American writer writing British people. I do not care to learn another 'language' and honestly I am NOT calling the bathroom the loo or the lavatory or whatever because that's ridiculous. I don't care if a word I use is ACTUALLY a euphemism for dick or something. Britain doesn't exist grow up.
> 
> (lol)
> 
> My tumblr is bigfreakinfrog and I draw as well as write! Feel free to stop by and speak Jontim to me!


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